Johnny was 13 years old when Clem took him to see Connie Cox, a Bay Area voice teacher, who agreed to take on the youngster in exchange for his doing odd jobs around her house. Johnny studied with Connie for six years learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, classical and operatic skills.
At George Washington High School, Johnny was known not only for his singing ability but his athleticism as well. He became a star athlete on the track and field team as a high jumper and hurdler and played on the basketball team.
In 1954, Johnny enrolled at San Francisco State College with the intention of being an English and Physical Education teacher. While there, Johnny set a high jump record of 6’-5 1/2”. This is still on the College’s Top 15 list and was only two inches short of the Olympic record of the time. Just as when he was in high school, Johnny’s name was frequently mentioned in the sports sections of the Northern California newspapers. He was often referred to as “the best all-around athlete to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area”.
A fellow student whose sextet was working at the Black Hawk nightclub brought Johnny in for a Sunday afternoon jam session. It was at the Black Hawk that Helen Noga, co-owner of the club, first heard him sing. She decided that she wanted to manage his career.
In early September of 1955, Johnny landed a job singing weekends at Ann Dee’s 440 Club. After repeated attempts, Helen convinced George Avakian, then head of Jazz A&R at Columbia, to see him. Avakian came to the club, heard Johnny sing and sent the now famous telegram to his record company: “Have found phenomenal 19 year old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts.”
Avakian left for New York after telling Johnny that he would eventually send for him. Johnny continued his studies at San Francisco State and gained additional fame as a high jumper. In early 1956, Johnny was asked to attend the trials for the 1956 Olympic teams that would travel to Melbourne, Australia that summer. At the same time, Columbia Records requested that Johnny come to New York to start arrangements for his first recording session. Clem helped his son decide that his future and best interests were with the recording company. So, Johnny gave up his chance to become a member of the USA Olympic Team. He went to New York to record his first album in March of 1956.
The first album was a collection of jazz oriented renditions of popular standards entitled: Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song. It included jazz musicians Gil Evans, John Lewis and Teo Macero and songs like “Angel Eyes”, “Easy to Love” and “Babalu”. The album enjoyed only moderate success because jazz vocal albums were not good sellers. Nevertheless, Johnny remained in New York and landed bookings at some of the leading nightclubs such as the Village Vanguard, The Blue Angel and Basin Street East.
Soon, Columbia placed Johnny under the supervision of producer Mitch Miller. Mitch favored using Johnny’s voice to sing soft, romantic ballads. At his second recording session, in the fall of 1956, Johnny recorded two singles. These songs were to become among his most popular all-time greatest hits: “Wonderful, Wonderful” and “It’s Not For Me To Say.” Subsequently, MGM Studios signed Johnny to sing “It’s Not For Me To Say” in the film Lizzie . He played a tavern piano bar singer. In 1958, Johnny made another motion picture appearance. This time it was for 20th Century Fox in A Certain Smile. In this movie, he sang the title song playing himself in an elegant nightclub scene. Since then, Johnny’s voice has been used in countless Hollywood movies for theme songs, background music and to enhance a particular setting or segment.
“Wonderful, Wonderful” and “It’s Not For Me To Say” reached their peaks on the BILLBOARD pop chart in July of 1957. These successes were followed by the monumental single “Chances Are” which became Johnny’s first #1 hit.
In June of 1957, Johnny appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show where he was introduced to the record buying public and became a national celebrity and household name. Columbia Records continued to release albums of Johnny singing beautiful and romantic ballads, classic standards and the best songs from Broadway musicals. These albums, like the singles, became immediate successes with sales in the millions. It was not uncommon for Johnny to have as many as four albums on the BILLBOARD Top Albums chart at the same time. In late 1959, Johnny recorded another song that became synonymous with the name of Johnny Mathis, the Erroll Garner composition, “Misty”.
Johnny’s accomplishments are numerous and varied. He holds many records and has set many precedents in the music industry. In 1958, two years after being signed by Columbia Records, Johnny’s Greatest Hits was released. It began a “Greatest Hits” tradition copied by every record company since then. Johnny’s Greatest Hits went on to become one of the most popular albums of all time and spent an unprecedented 490 continuous weeks (almost ten years) on the BILLBOARD Top Albums Chart. This record has been noted in the GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS.
According to record historian Joel Whitburn, Johnny is one of only five recording artists to have Top 40 Hits spanning each of the four decades since 1955. Amazingly, his second #1 Hit Single, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” (recorded with Deniece Williams), came almost 21 years after his very first #1 Hit Single, “Chances Are”.
Johnny has been honored to make several appearances before various heads of state. Starting in June of 1973, he sang at a State Dinner held in honor of the President of Liberia. In 1978, Johnny sang for the British Royal Family at A Command Performance held at The London Palladium. He performed for President and Mrs. Reagan at the State Dinner held in honor of the Prime Minister of Japan in April of 1987. Four years later in April of 1991, he sang for President and Mrs. Bush in honor of the President of Nicaragua. Most recently, in May of 1994, Johnny sang for President and Mrs. Clinton (along with the other five living First Ladies) at a very special First Ladies Tribute.
Johnny has also been honored by entertainment heads of state. In June of 1972, he was awarded his own star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has participated in the Academy Awards presentation many times to sing the song nominated in the “Best Song” category. He has received two Grammy nominations. The first was for “Misty” in 1960 in the category of Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track Male. The second came in 1992 for In a Sentimental Mood/Mathis Sings Ellington in the category of Best Traditional Pop Performance.
1996 marked Johnny’s 40th Anniversary as a recording artist. He celebrated by releasing All About Love. He then released The Global Masters (songs from his three year contract at Mercury Records) in 1997, and 1998 saw the release of The Ultimate Hits and Because You Loved Me.
In his free time, Johnny loves to golf. He plays golf almost every day when he’s not traveling and has sung at many golf banquets such as the Ryder Cup. In 1985 and 1986, Johnny hosted his own golf tournament, The Johnny Mathis Seniors PGA Classic which was held in Los Angeles, California.
Johnny’s other favorite avocation is cooking. He is a gourmet cook who cooks for himself and often others when he’s home or traveling. His mother taught him at an early age how to cook up a storm and do it well. He’s enjoyed doing so all his life.
That's All
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a promise to be near each time you call,
And the only heart I own
For you and you alone,
That's all, that's all.
I can only give you country walks in springtime
And a hand to hold when leaves begin to fall,
Will warm the winter night,
That's all, that's all.
There are those, I am sure, that have told you
They would give you the world for a toy.
All I have are these arms to enfold yo
And a love time can never destroy.
If you're wondering what I'm asking in return, dear,
You'll be glad to know that my demands are small.
Say it's me that you'll adore
For now and ever more,
That's all, that's all.
If you're wondering what I'm asking in return, dear,
You'll be glad to know that my demands are small.
Say it's me that you'll adore
For now and ever more,
That's all...that's all.
The song "That's All" by Johnny Mathis is a beautiful love song about a man who loves his partner with all his heart but can only offer her certain things. He promises to be by her side always when she needs him and also promises her that he will love her and devote all of his heart to her for eternity. The lyrics begin by stating that the only thing he can give his partner is a love that will last forever which shows that his love for her is real and everlasting.
In the second verse, the singer mentions that he can take his partner for country walks during springtime and be there to hold her hand when the leaves start to fall. He also promises her that the love he has is powerful and passionate and can warm the winter nights. The beauty of these lyrics is that the singer is not offering his partner materialistic things, but instead, he is offering her his time, attention, love, and devotion, which is what real love is all about.
The final verse touches upon how many people may have promised his partner the world if they were given the chance, and they would give her the world for a toy. However, he explains to her that he only has his arms to hold her and offer her the love that can never be destroyed by time or circumstance. In return for his love, the only thing that he asks of her is to adore him forever, and he will be content. Overall, the song “That’s All” is a classic love song that speaks of the essence of true love and how all one needs in a relationship is love, devotion, and time.
Line by Line Meaning
I can only give you love that lasts forever
I can devote myself to loving you with a commitment that is endless
And a promise to be near each time you call
I guarantee that I will always be available for you whenever you need me
And the only heart I own
I offer you every bit of my heart and soul, to have and to hold
For you and you alone, That's all, that's all
You are the one I choose, to cherish, love and hold close, forever and always
I can only give you country walks in springtime
I can entice you with the beauty of nature, on warm sunny days
And a hand to hold when leaves begin to fall
In the autumn, when the leaves fall and the world changes, I will always be by your side
And a love whose burning light
The love that I have in my heart for you is intense and all-consuming
Will warm the winter night, That's all, that's all
Even in the cold, harsh winds of winter, I will love and comfort you
There are those, I am sure, that have told you
Others might have promised to give you everything you desire
They would give you the world for a toy
They might offer you the world, but could it be just an empty gesture?
All I have are these arms to enfold you
I have nothing to offer but my open, loving embrace
And a love time can never destroy
My love for you will withstand any test, and only grow stronger with time
If you're wondering what I'm asking in return, dear
You may be curious what I am hoping from you, my beloved
You'll be glad to know that my demands are small
Luckily for you, I don't have many requirements
Say it's me that you'll adore
All I ask is that you will cherish and love me
For now and ever more, That's all, that's all
Just pledge your love to me, for all eternity, and that will be enough
Contributed by Amelia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.